Being turned on by the smell of someone’s dirty panties and the problems it can cause
Lurking in the corners of the Internet are things you would rather not see because it is just TMI (too much information).
A search for “used underwear” on a Singapore site that lists free classified ads churned out 157 listings. A separate search for “used socks” drew 142 listings, suggesting a demand for such personal items. Over in some forums, anonymous online users lay bare their need for things that they do in private — sniffing other people’s used underwear, soiled socks and aromatic armpits, for instance.
Call it perverse, unnatural or kinky, they and their fetishes are out there: People who have an intense sexual attraction to non-living objects or body parts not traditionally viewed as sexual. Last month, a 34-year-old man here told the world through social media that he was smelling female underwear and doing obscene acts with the items along the common corridor of a public housing block.
Jail for man, 67, who repeatedly stole woman's underwear, then wrote letters and sent her pictures of him wearing her panties
After repeatedly stealing a woman's undergarments from a clothes rack, a 67-year-old man left the woman a letter on the rack one day.
In it, he made various lewd remarks about the woman's body before telling her that he would show her pictures of him wearing her underwear. Staying true to his words, he delivered to her those photos on two occasions.
On Wednesday (Sept 18), Tham Weng Kee pleaded guilty to two charges of insulting a person's modesty and one of distributing an obscene picture. He was sentenced to nine weeks' jail. Six charges of theft and one more of distributing an obscene picture were taken into consideration during sentencing.
Police nabs man suspected of serial underwear thefts at Bedok Reservoir
The police have arrested a 26-year-old man who is suspected of being involved in a series of undergarment thefts around the Bedok Reservoir estate.
In a media release on Friday (Oct 13), the police said the arrest was made on Thursday – three days after a female resident at Block 135 Bedok Reservoir Road reported the loss of undergarments which were hung on the laundry rack along the corridor of her flat. The police said they tracked down the suspect through ground investigations and police camera footage. The man is suspected of being involved in a string of other similar cases around the Bedok Reservoir estate, though the police were unable to reveal the number of victims affected.
Earlier this week, an undated video on social media showed a man taking a woman’s bra from a clothes rack outside a HDB flat. TODAY understands that the man depicted in the video is the same man who was arrested, though it is unclear when the video was taken. While the police did not reveal the suspect’s nationality, the video showed a stocky bespectacled man wearing an army green t-shirt and black shorts.
Repeat offender, 38, pleads guilty to stealing bras, other underwear drying outside flats
After noticing three bras drying outside a 10th floor flat, 38-year-old Muhammad Iqbal Mohamed Rafe grabbed them and walked away.
He took the undergarments to another floor to touch and feel them before returning to the 10th floor to place them behind a bench. About three months later, Iqbal took more women's underwear from outside a different flat.
He pleaded guilty to two counts of theft on Thursday (July 13) in a district court. Iqbal had committed a similar offence before. He was sentenced to jail in 2020 for trespassing into a flat to steal a bra and two sets of panties.
Jail for underwear thief found with more than 100 pairs of women’s undergarments
After seeing women’s underwear hanging outside a flat at Tanjong Pagar Plaza, So Chik Hwee broke into the unit intending to steal all the underwear he could find.
While he was in the midst of the act, a domestic worker and the homeowner’s child returned, but he managed to hide in a bedroom until the coast was clear. The Singapore permanent resident from Malaysia, who has a fetishistic disorder, did this twice more at other flats.
The police found 60 pairs of bras and 44 panties at his home that they suspected had been stolen. So, a 39-year-old acountant, was jailed for seven months and a week after he pleaded guilty on Wednesday (Jan 20) to one count of housebreaking and two counts of theft.
NUS student jailed 6 weeks for stealing women’s underwear from hostel rooms
A student who trespassed into hostel rooms at the National University of Singapore (NUS) to steal female residents' undergarments was jailed for six weeks on Monday (Jan 4).
Pei Shao Bo, 25, pleaded guilty to three counts of theft in dwelling. One other count of theft and five counts of criminal trespass were considered during sentencing.
The court heard that on five occasions between Jan 18 and Feb 9 last year, the Singaporean final-year student on scholarship had gone into unlocked rooms in a hostel block on campus to steal underwear belonging to female occupants. Pei, who was not a resident at the hostel, stole at least four bras and two panties.
Man arrested after lingerie goes missing from Tampines home, thousands of undergarments seized
A 41-year-old man has been arrested after a woman reported that the underwear she had left outside her home along Tampines Avenue 9 was stolen, said police on Thursday (April 2).
The authorities said they received the report on March 15 at about 3.30pm and identified the man through ground enquiries and with the aid of images from police cameras. "Preliminary investigations revealed that the man is believed to be involved in similar cases reported in Tampines," said police.
More than 2,500 pieces of women's underwear were found in his possession and seized. The man will be charged in court on Friday. If found guilty, he faces up to three years' jail, jail and a fine or both. CNA
Man gets fine after hurting another when caught trying to steal lingerie; police find 259 panties in raid
When Samsudin Chik spotted some lingerie hanging on a laundry pole along the corridor of a housing block, he decided to steal them thinking no one was looking.
When he was caught by a man, whose sister owned the lingerie, Samsudin got into a scuffle as he tried to flee and ended up hitting the man on the right cheek with his elbow. Arresting Samsudin at his home and raiding it later, the police found 259 pairs of panties, 49 bras and several female clothes in his possession.
On Monday (March 11), the court sentenced him to a fine of S$5,000 after he pleaded guilty to possessing items believed to be stolen and voluntarily causing hurt. A third charge of attempted theft was taken into consideration during sentencing.
9 months’ jail for man who stole women’s panties, bras for gratification
When Muhammad Iqbal Mohamed Rafe trespassed into a flat to steal a bra and two sets of panties, he heard someone returning home and fled into the kitchen toilet.
Iqbal then claimed that a woman had allowed him to enter and use the toilet as it was urgent. The 35-year-old man was jailed nine months on Monday (May 11) after pleading guilty to three charges: House trespass, housebreaking and theft.
A forensic psychiatrist from the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) said in his report that Iqbal has a “fetishistic disorder” and experiences recurrent sexual arousal from using women’s undergarments.
Former Grab driver fined S$2,400 for posting photos of himself sniffing underwear from clothes racks
When Lim Wei Ming came across a pair of shorts hanging on a clothes rack in Chua Chu Kang in 2018, he masturbated and took some photographs of the piece of clothing before returning it to the rack.
He then uploaded selfies of himself sniffing women’s undergarments on his Instagram account that later went viral.
The 35-year-old Singaporean was fined S$2,400 on Friday (Sept 18) after pleading guilty to one charge each of being a public nuisance and possessing obscene films. Another three similar charges were taken into consideration for sentencing.
Pasir Ris underwear theft: Man arrested with more than 25 undergarments in his possession
The police arrested a 26-year-old man on Wednesday (May 20) for allegedly stealing female undergarments in Pasir Ris.
In a news release on Thursday, the police said that they had received a report on May 10 informing them that underwear hung outside a residential unit along Pasir Ris Street 12 were stolen. Through ground enquiries and with the aid of images from police cameras, officers from the Bedok Police Division established the identity of the man and arrested him on May 20.
Preliminary investigations by the authorities revealed that the man is believed to be involved in other similar cases in the vicinity. “An assortment of more than 25 undergarments found in his possession were seized,” the police said.
Serial bra thief who stole underwear during circuit breaker gets 23 weeks’ jail
A part-time actor who kept stealing undergarments went out to pinch these items even when the Government had imposed stay-home restrictions. He was eventually found with more than 100 bras and 41 pairs of panties in his house.
Lee Chee Kin, 39, who worked part-time with Mediacorp’s Vasantham Channel, was sentenced on Monday (June 8) to 23 weeks' jail after he pleaded guilty to 10 charges of theft, criminal trespass, unauthorised access to computer material, as well as a breach of Covid-19 regulations last month.
Another 14 charges were taken into consideration during sentencing. Lee admitted last month that he had stolen the underwear between April 2018 and April this year, doing so by selecting them “based on their appearance”, climbing over back gates and entering laundry areas to take them before climbing back out.
Serial bra thief admits leaving house during circuit breaker to steal underwear
A serial bra thief found with more than 100 bras and 41 pairs of panties in his house had gone out even during the "circuit breaker" period in an attempt to steal underwear, a court heard on Monday (May 18).
He had stolen the underwear between April 2018 and April 2020, and had left his house without a mask on during the circuit breaker. Lee Chee Kin, 39, pleaded guilty to 10 charges of theft, criminal trespass, unauthorised access to computer material, as well as breach of Covid-19 regulations. Another 14 charges will be taken into consideration for sentencing.
The court heard that Lee selected the underwear "based on their appearance", climbing over back gates and entering laundry areas to take them before climbing back out. "The accused used the stolen bras and panties for his own sexual gratification," said Deputy Public Prosecutor Kwang Jia Min.
Engineer who stole women’s clothes to satisfy his fetish given mandatory treatment order
A 28-year-old software engineer was ordered to serve an 18-month mandatory treatment order on Tuesday (Oct 13), after pleading guilty to stealing multiple pieces of women’s undergarments and clothing.
Goh Ling Yong had a fetishistic disorder and was sexually aroused from using such clothing, including wearing them, according to an Institute of Mental Health (IMH) report. A mandatory treatment order is a community sentencing option offered to offenders suffering from mental conditions that contributed to the offence. Those found suitable must attend sessions with a court-appointed psychiatrist.
Goh, who graduated from Nanyang Technological University in 2018 with a computer science degree, pleaded guilty last month to three charges of theft and fraudulent possession of property. When he was nabbed on March 17 this year, the police found 176 pieces of undergarments and clothing in a sling bag, two luggage bags and a duffel bag in his home. He could not explain why he had them, which were “reasonably suspected of being stolen”, the court heard.
Singapore’s voyeurism problem – what’s wrong with men, or the world?
With spycams and phone cameras taking voyeurism to unsavoury new heights, women whom TODAY have spoken to said they have taken extra precautions to protect themselves and their private spaces
Every time freelance writer Clare Lee, 27, uses a changing room when trying on clothes in fashion outlets big and small, she will take a few minutes to inspect every nook and cranny in her cubicle for hidden cameras before feeling safe enough to undress herself.
For 27-year-old Fiona, who did not want to give her full name, she will always double check that the curtains in her bedroom or hotel are fully drawn such that there is not even a teeny-weeny gap for anyone to peek through, and steer clear of unattended baskets in supermarkets. Freelance content creator Hilary See, 27, would refrain from standing near the edge of the escalator where people can look up her skirt, and try to use either a bag or a file to cover the back of her skirt while climbing the stairs.
With spycams and phone cameras taking voyeurism to unsavoury new heights, these women are among a growing number of people who have taken extra precautions to protect themselves and their private spaces.
‘I realise my mistake’: Man charged with posting lingerie-sniffing selfies
A man who allegedly posted photos of himself sniffing women’s underwear on Instagram told a district court on Wednesday (Sept 4) that he now realises his mistake.
Lim Wei Ming, 34, was charged last month. He has been remanded at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) since then. He told District Judge Adam Nakhoda on Wednesday: “I realise my mistake. Because of my mistake, my mother suffers a lot.”
The judge ordered him to be remanded in IMH for three more weeks for psychiatric observation. He will return to court on Sept 25. According to court documents, Lim is accused of uploading photos of himself sniffing undergarments and performing lewd acts in the Choa Chu Kang area on Aug 15 this year. Lim was arrested the next day.
Man shared photos of himself sniffing stolen panties
A man who uploaded social media posts of himself sniffing stolen female undergarments and other soiled clothing was fined $2,400 on Friday (18 Sep)
Lim Wei Ming, 35, pleaded guilty to one count of causing a public nuisance and one count of possessing four obscene video files. Another two charges of causing a public nuisance were taken into consideration for his sentencing.
These include Lim uploading a post containing four photographs of him posing with and sniffing pink female underwear with the caption “Public panty sniffing”, and another post he uploaded onto the same account two photographs of a pink female underwear, with a caption “Block 356 Tampines Street 33”. Both posts were uploaded on 14 August last year.
On another occasion in 2018, after coming across a pair of black shorts on a clothing rack, he masturbated and ejaculated on the shorts. On 14 August last year, he posted a picture of it on his Instagram account with the caption, “Public pcc onto black shorts.” The letters “pcc” referred to the sexual act in Hokkien.
Sexual Fetishism
Foot fetishism, one of the most common sexual fetishes
Sexual fetishism or erotic fetishism is a sexual fixation on a nonliving object or body part. The object of interest is called the fetish; the person who has a fetish for that object is a fetishist. A sexual fetish may be regarded as a mental disorder if it causes significant psychosocial distress for the person or has detrimental effects on important areas of their life. Sexual arousal from a particular body part can be further classified as partialism.
While medical definitions restrict the term sexual fetishism to objects or body parts, fetish can, in common discourse, also refer to sexual interest in specific activities, peoples, types of people, substances, or situations.
In common parlance, the word fetish is used to refer to any sexually arousing stimuli, not all of which meet the medical criteria for fetishism. This broader usage of fetish covers parts or features of the body (including obesity and body modifications), objects, situations and activities (such as smoking or BDSM). Paraphilias such as urophilia, necrophilia and coprophilia have been described as fetishes.
Voyeur alert!
Inspecting a changing room before undressing themselves. Double-checking for gaps in curtains. Steering clear of unattended baskets in the supermarket. Avoiding isolated toilets. Standing against the walls of a train carriage instead of at the centre.
These are some of the extra precautions women whom TODAY spoke to said they have come up with, to protect themselves as spycams and phone cameras take voyeurism to unsavoury new heights.
“This might be irrational fear and excessive caution, but it is better to be safe than sorry,” said one of them, a 27-year-old who only gave her name as Fiona. “We hear so many stories that hit so close to home, it’d be unwise to not be on our guard.”
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A variety of innocuous items that can be used as spycams. Experts TODAY spoke to said the true extent of the problem of voyeurism is far deeper and broader than the ongoing NUS saga
Inspecting a changing room before undressing themselves. Double-checking for gaps in curtains. Steering clear of unattended baskets in the supermarket. Avoiding isolated toilets. Standing against the walls of a train carriage instead of at the centre.
These are some of the extra precautions women whom TODAY spoke to said they have come up with, to protect themselves as spycams and phone cameras take voyeurism to unsavoury new heights.
“This might be irrational fear and excessive caution, but it is better to be safe than sorry,” said one of them, a 27-year-old who only gave her name as Fiona. “We hear so many stories that hit so close to home, it’d be unwise to not be on our guard.”
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Voyeurism
The Lady Godiva Clock in Coventry displays her naked ride through the city and Peeping Tom's voyeurism
Voyeurism is the sexual interest in or practice of watching other people engaged in intimate behaviors, such as undressing, sexual activity, or other actions of a private nature.
The term comes from the French voir which means "to see". A male voyeur is commonly labelled as "Peeping Tom" or a "Jags", a term which originates from the Lady Godiva legend. However, that term is usually applied to a male who observes somebody secretly and, generally, not in a public space.
The American Psychiatric Association has classified certain voyeuristic fantasies, urges and behaviour patterns as a paraphilia in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV) if the person has acted on these urges, or the sexual urges or fantasies cause marked distress or interpersonal difficulty. It is described as a disorder of sexual preference in the ICD-10. The DSM-IV defines voyeurism as the act of observing "individuals, usually strangers, engaging in sexual activity, exhibitionism, or disrobing". The diagnosis as a disorder would not be given to people who experience typical sexual arousal or amusement, simply by seeing nudity or sexual activity.